Hinge assembly comprisin a compression spring for compensating the weight of wings

ABSTRACT

The hinge assembly is intended for use with wings which are hinged on a horizontal axis, such as lids, flaps or the like, particularly in freezers. The compression spring bears at one end on the stationary hinge member under initial stress and at its other end engages an end of a spring-restraining rod, which supports the compression spring and engages the second hinge member, which is attached to the wing. The spring-restraining rod carries at its upper end a slider, which consists of polyamide or a material having similar characteristics and which is guided by a cam that is directly mounted in that hinge member attached to the wing.

[451 Aug. 15,1972

United States Patent Gronbach Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay Assistant Examiner-Doris L. Troutman Attorney-Fleit, Gipple & Jacobson WINGS [72] Inventor:

[ ABSTRACT The hinge assemblyis intended for use with wings which are hinged on a horizontal axis, such as lids,

Wilhelm Gronbach, 80 9 Ebersberg.- Alpenstrasse 9, Germany Nov. 20, 1969 211 Appl. No.: 878,461

[22] Filed: flaps or the like, particularly in freezers. The compression spring bears at one end on the stationary hinge member under initial stress and at its other end engages an end of a spring-restraining rod, which sup- 52] u.s. PF' the compression Spring and engages second 5; 1/12 hinge member, WhlCh is attached to the wmg. The

spring-restraining rod carries at its upper end a slider,

[58] Field of which consists of polyamide or a material having [56] References Cited similar characteristics and which is guided by a cam UNITED STATES PATENTS that is directly mounted in that hinge member attached to the wing.

3,496,595 2/1970 Larson.........................l6/l90 l2 laim g g 374,584 12/1887 cook...........................16/190 PATENTEDMJB 15 1912 lx'ul-ix'i 1 WILHELM GRONBACH HINGE ASSEMBLY COMPRISIN A COMPRESSION SPRING FOR COMPENSATING THE WEIGHT F WINGS This invention relates to a hinge assembly which comprises a compression spring for compensating the weight of wings which are hinged on a horizontal axis, such as lids, flaps, or the like, particularly in freezers, wherein the compression spring bears at one end on the stationary hinge member under initial stress and at its other end engages an end of a spring-restraining rod, which supports the compression spring and engages the second hinge member, which is attached to the wing.

In a known hinge assembly of that kind, the compression spring acts by means of a rocker, which is pivoted to the spring-restraining rod, to the hinge member that of the hinge pin but also requires an exact alignment of said pin with the lower hinge pin, through which the hinge pin is also guided.

' It is an object of the invention to provide a hinge assembly which has the same advantages as the known hinge assembly which has been described and which is is attached to the wing. That known hinge also comprises a guide for that portion of the spring-restraining rod where the latter is connected to the rocker. Said guide consists of a pivoted arm, which by means of a pivot pin is pivoted to the stationary hinge member and has at its free end a slot, which receives the pivot pin connecting the rocker to the spring-restraining rod. At its end connected to the pivoted arm, the rocker has a lateral extension, which is provided with a constraining and pressure-exerting cam and which during a pivotal movement of the cover slides on the stationary pivot pin of the rocker arm and in the closed position engages the same from behind. The stationary pivot pin of the pivoted arm is protected by a roller. Such hinge assembly ensures a good seal of the wing in the closed position and eliminates any risk of a self-locking action because the neutral point is perfectly controlled.

The German Utility Model 1,918,603 discloses a hinge, which differs from the hinges of the type defined first hereinbefore because it has a spring-restraining rod, the upper end of which is unbiasedly guided in a transverse bore of a hinge pin of the hinge assembly itself. A slider is slidably mounted on the spring-restraining rod and carries a cam, which is biased by a coil spring and has a hollow cylindrical extension, which also slides on the spring-restraining rod to ensure an exact guidance. Hence, in that hinge assembly the spring does not act on the second, movable hinge member through the intermediary of the end of the spring-restraining rod but said end is entirely freely movable. Besides, the second hinge member is pro vided with arms which slide on the cam which is slidably guided on the spring-restraining rod. Because the spring-restraining rod of the known hinge assembly is entirely free oflongitudinal forces and serves only to guide the spring and the slidably mounted cam, the rod must be guided in the transverse bore of the upper pivot pin of the hinge. This arrangement prevents a dis engagement between the arms and cam under the action of the spring. Said guidance of the spring-restraining rod has the result, however, that a pivotal relative movement of the cam and arm is performed in fact only by the arm so that the cam remains relatively flat. This gives rise to a need for a detent on the arm in order to prevent an excessive opening of the lid, which is connected to the upper part of the hinge. The provision of the detent on the arm and of the hollow-cylindrical guide for the slider on the spring-restraining rod is relatively expensive. Besides, the transverse bore which is provided in the hinge pin and serves to guide the spring-restraining rod does not only reduce the strength much simpler in structure because the connecting linkage is eliminated.

In a hinge of the kind defined first hereinbefore, this object is accomplished by the invention in that the spring-restraining rod carries at its upper end a slider, which consists of polyamide or a material having similar characteristics and which is guided by a cam that is directly mounted in the hinge member attached to the wing. The configuration of the cam will depend on the specific environment in which it is to be used and can be calculated. In most applications, the cam shown by way of example gives the best results.

The hinge assembly according to the invention thus affords the advantage that the entire linkage of the known hinge can be eliminated. This linkage consists essentially of the rocker and the rocker arm and the associated pivot pin. It is surprising that a hinge assembly having such a simple structure can perform the same function as the known hinge assembly because not less than ten elements of construction are eliminated.

The slider according to the invention consists of a material, preferably polyamide, which is adapted to hug the cam portion with which it is in contact so that a continuous sliding movement is ensured. A jumping of the slider on the cam is not permissible because it would generate noise; for this reason, the slider must have desirable friction characteristics. It must be ensured that the movement of the hinge is controlled by the cam alone and that the same cannot be changed by the slider. Besides, the material for the slider must withstand cyclic stresses so that the functional characteristics will not change in the course of time. This requirement is met by polyamide. in the hinge assembly according to the invention, the relatively small bearing surface can take up a spring pressure of about kilograms.

In a particularly desirable embodiment of the invention a smooth slideway member, which preferably consists of a spring steel strip stamping, is snapped in adjacent to the cam face of the cam for the slider. This feature affords the advantage that there is no need for an expensive fine machining of the cam face to the smooth finish required for a satisfactory function of the hinge assembly.

Further desirable features of the invention are defined in the sub-claims.

An embodiment of the invention will be described hereinafter by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the hinge assembly according to the invention and FIG. 2 is an elevation showing the hinge assembly according to the invention viewed from the open side of the hinge housing.

The hinge assembly comprises a hinge member 1, which is secured to the'wing 2, and a stationary hinge member 3, which is secured to the base, e.g., a freezer.

The hinge member 3 consists of a U-shaped housing, which is open on the side facing away from the freezer.

The member 3 is secured to the freezer with the aid of openings 4, 5. The movable hinge member 1 is secured to the wing 2 with the aid of bores 6 to 9. It is readily apparent from FIG. 2 that the bores required for the fixation will be exposed even when the hinge assembly has been completed so that the fixation of the latter to the base and lid of the freezer is simple and fast.

These two hinge members are rotatably interconnected by a hinge pin 10. A cam 12 is provided directly in that hinge member 1 which is connected to the wing 2. In the embodiment shown by way of example, the cam consists of a snapped-in string steel strip stamping 13.

The cam 12, 13 serves to guide a slider 14, which consists of polyamide and which is provided with lateral flanges 15. The slider 14 of polyamide is held in compression in a fork l6 ofa restraining rod 17.

The spring-restraining rod 17 is pivoted in the stationary hinge member 3 at a point which is spaced from the pivot of the other end of the rod. The distance between these two pivots is independent of the initial stress selected for the springs 18, 19. In the embodiment shown by example, a knife edge bearing 20 is engaged by a rocker 21, which has a tapped opening. The lower end of the spring-restraining rod 17 is guided in a guide tube 22 by means of an interposed washer 23, which bears on the top end of the guide tube 22. The guide tube 22 has an external screw thread, which mates the tapped opening of the rocker 21 so that the initial stress of the springs is variable by a movement of the guide tube 22 relative to the rocker 21.

At their top end, the compression springs l8, l9 bear on a washer 24, which is held by a shoulder 25 of the spring-restraining rod 17.

The mode of operation of the hinge assembly according to the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description of its elements of construction. FIG. 1 shows the hinge assembly in a closed position. The stressed compression springs l8, 19 force the slider 14 against the pressure-exerting cam portion 26, which by means of the hinge pin exerts an additional closing pressure on the cover 2 of the freezer. As the cover is opened, the slider 14 biased by the expanding compression springs l8, 19 is guided along the constraining cam portion 27. A compensation of weight is ensured in any position of the constraining cam portion 27 whatever. The extreme open position of the lid 2 is defined in that the cam 12 consists of two cam sections 12' and 12''. The two cam sections 12', 12" are formed in that the hinge member 1 connected to the hinge is bent to form two symmetrical U-limbs, each of which has a bore, through which the hinge pin 10 extends. The latter is held by rough surfaces.

The cam has at each end a stop 32 or 33, respectively, which in cooperation with the slider 14 and the back of the restraining rod 17 define the extreme open position of the wing 2. The stop 33 is formed by the bending of the wing-connected hinge member in the shape of a U. The fixing lugs 28, 29 formed with the connecting bores 6 to 9 are bent at right angles from the U-limbs of the hinge member 1.

The hinge pin 10 is mounted in a bearing sleeve 31 between the bores 6, 8 or 7, 9 of the fixing lugs 28, 29.

What is claimed is:

1. A hinge assembly for compensating the weight ofa wing hinged on a horizontal axis, such as a lid, flap, or the like, particularly in freezers, and for maintaining the wing in equilibrium throughout its hinged operation, the hinge assembly comprising: a first stationary hinge member; a second hinge member rotatably mounted on said first hinge member and integral with said wing; a cam integral with said second hinge member; a slider mounted on said first hinge member and adapted to engage and follow said cam; a spring restraining rod for mounting said slider; a compression spring associating at one end with said first hinge member and at the other end with said spring restraining rod, and serving to bias said spring restraining rod, with its integrally mounted slider, into sliding engagement with said cam; said cam having a first curved portion contacting said slider to exert an additional closing force pressure on said wing when said wing is closed; and said cam having a second curved portion contacting and guiding said slider to provide compensation for the weight of said wing when said wing is open to any open position, and which maintains equilibrium in the hinge assembly for all positions of said wing.

2. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the curved portions of said cam are open.

3. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the curved portions of said cam consist of a punched spring-steel cross band mounted in a recess of said second hinge member.

4. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, and further comprising stops for said slider at the ends of the cam, said stops determining the closed position and the maximum open position of said wing.

5. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 4, in which the second curved portion is inclined in relation to the horizontal axis in such a way that the slider rests against the stop determining the open position when the opening angle of the wing is between 20 and 25.

6. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the slider is forced into a bifurcated end of the spring restraining rod.

7. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the slider includes a guide flange laterally overlapping the curved surfaces of said cam.

8. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which said second hinge member consists of a U- shaped member, the sides of which are connected by a bearing sleeve; and further comprises a pivot pin defining said horizontal axis, mounted in said U-shaped member.

9. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the end of the spring retaining rod remote from the slider is guided within a guide tube the outer surface of which supports a thread on which a sleeve is screwed and which has laterally projecting flaps; and means for connecting said flaps to said first hinge member.

10. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring-restraining rod is mounted in the first hinge member at a point which is spaced from the point where the other end of said rod is pivoted and the distance between said two points is independent of the initial stress selected for the spring.

11. A hinge assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that the lower end of the spring-restraining edge bearing of the stationary hinge member has a tapped opening, and the initial stress of the spring is variable by a movement of the guide tube relative to the rocker. 

1. A hinge assembly for compensating the weight of a wing hinged on a horizontal axis, such as a lid, flap, or the like, particularly in freezers, and for maintaining the wing in equilibrium throughout its hinged operation, the hinge assembly comprising: a first stationary hinge member; a second hinge member rotatably mounted on said first hinge member and integral with said wing; a cam integral with said second hinge member; a slider mounted on said first hinge member and adapted to engage and follow said cam; a spring restraining rod for mounting said slider; a compression spring associating at one end with said first hinge member and at the other end with said spring restraining rod, and serving to bias said spring restraining rod, with its integrally mounted slider, into sliding engagement with said cam; said cam having a first curved portion contacting said slider to exert an addiTional closing force pressure on said wing when said wing is closed; and said cam having a second curved portion contacting and guiding said slider to provide compensation for the weight of said wing when said wing is open to any open position, and which maintains equilibrium in the hinge assembly for all positions of said wing.
 2. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the curved portions of said cam are open.
 3. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the curved portions of said cam consist of a punched spring-steel cross band mounted in a recess of said second hinge member.
 4. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, and further comprising stops for said slider at the ends of the cam, said stops determining the closed position and the maximum open position of said wing.
 5. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 4, in which the second curved portion is inclined in relation to the horizontal axis in such a way that the slider rests against the stop determining the open position when the opening angle of the wing is between 20* and 25* .
 6. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the slider is forced into a bifurcated end of the spring restraining rod.
 7. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the slider includes a guide flange laterally overlapping the curved surfaces of said cam.
 8. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which said second hinge member consists of a U-shaped member, the sides of which are connected by a bearing sleeve; and further comprises a pivot pin defining said horizontal axis, mounted in said U-shaped member.
 9. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1, in which the end of the spring retaining rod remote from the slider is guided within a guide tube the outer surface of which supports a thread on which a sleeve is screwed and which has laterally projecting flaps; and means for connecting said flaps to said first hinge member.
 10. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring-restraining rod is mounted in the first hinge member at a point which is spaced from the point where the other end of said rod is pivoted and the distance between said two points is independent of the initial stress selected for the spring.
 11. A hinge assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that the lower end of the spring-restraining rod bears through the intermediary of a rocker on a knife edge bearing carried by the first hinge member.
 12. A hinge assembly according to claim 11, characterized in that the lower edge portion of the spring-restraining rod is guided in a guide tube, which has external screw threads, the rocker bearing on the knife edge bearing of the stationary hinge member has a tapped opening, and the initial stress of the spring is variable by a movement of the guide tube relative to the rocker. 